Gerunds and Gerund Phrases

Gerunds are verbs in their present participle form that act like nouns.  Unlike participial phrases, gerunds are only made up of the present participle forms, not the past participle forms.  The sentence "Going to the beach is fun" begins with a gerund phrase, where the participle "Going" is the subject; it is, in fact, a noun.  In the following diagrams, keep in mind that the gerund phrase occupies an entire level on stilts apart from the main clause of the sentence.  The form fields should be easy to follow if you know what you're looking for.

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1) Developing good habits in her puppy was Katie's goal.                               
                                                                     
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2) By repeating Daffy's name with each command, Katie began her obedience training.

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3) Another important factor in pet rearing is being consistent.
                                                                    
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4) Placing the dog dish in the same spot at mealtime is one example of consistency.

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5) Daffy loves earning an affectionate pat on the head from Katie.
                                                                                          
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